Roses Bloom Twice
by The-First-Polymythical
Summary: Three years after the gallery incident, Ib is living the normal life of a middle school student with her twin sister Mary. But when something happens to make Ib start remembering, things start to go down hill. . . based off the ending "Together, Forever".
1. Braids

**I love Ib. I just recently played the game (thank you to Pewdiepie, for being the one to introduce me to it), and went through and got all five endings. Then I thought I'd check out the fanfiction for it, and well, I was not impressed. Such a small number! And most of the stories that were meant to be long never got more then two chapters in!**

**So, it inspired me to go for it, and try to write one myself. Let's see if I can get more than two chapters written (I should, seeing as I already wrote two).**

**But I'm kind of cheating, since my chapters will be short. Very short. But I should end up with a lot of them, in then end.**

**So, let's take this for a ride, and see were it goes.**

******Don't know if I need to say I don't own Ib or not, but I have to do that for all my Naruto fanfiction, so I'll do it anyways.**

**Disclaimer****: Ib is not mine, and I gain no profit from writing this fanfiction.**

**Oh, it would probably be important for me to mention that this is based off of the ending "Together, Forever" ;)**

* * *

"Sister, would you braid my hair for me, please?"

Ib halted in the process of combing her own brunette locks to glance over at her sister.

Mary was, as she usually was on any given morning, taking up the main space in front of the mirror.

She had always been obsessed with her appearance in a way that Ib had never been, and could never understand.

Knowing that Mary could easily see Ib's reflection in the mirror as well as her own, the brunette only nodded in response.

She made her way across the white tiles of the bathroom on quiet, bare feet. She used the same hairbrush that she had been using a moment ago to help separate Mary's thick main of yellow curls into three chunks. Then she set to work braiding as Mary rattled on.

"Thanks _so_ much sis. You know that I want to look my best for today. It's going to be great! I've waited all summer for this, and now we're finally going into middle school!"

Ib only nodded in response, completely engrossed in her work.

When she was done Mary turned to her, a wide smile on her face. Her blue eyes gleamed with happiness.

"How about I braid your hair, too?" she asked, but didn't wait for a reply. Instead, she picked up the hair brush once more and set to work.

Mary had always insisted on them being the same, even if they were so different. She wanted the two of them to wear the same clothes, have the same hair style, eat the same foods. . . and in the end Ib always complied. She was a quiet girl, but not necessarily a solitary one, and didn't mind the constant knowledge that she would always have someone who, even though they were different, would always be there. And the sameness was just a way of proving it.

It helped that Ib knew Mary was just as afraid of being all alone as she was.


	2. Twins

**Exposition chapter.**

* * *

"You guys are twins? No way!"

Ib and Mary got that a lot.

Standing side by side, blonde hair to brown, blue eyes to red, and bold happiness to quiet cleverness, they certainly did not seem like twins.

But they were. Mary insisted so. Had insisted since three years ago, when Ib had first questioned it. When mother and father had questioned it as well, it seemed.

And now Ib and Mary did everything together. Wore matching outfits. Held hands. Played together.

Just like the perfect sisters should. And the two of them were both the same twelve years old, as well. They had to be twins. There was no other option, Mary had always said firmly.

So Ib had stopped questioning it, and started assuring others of it. She loved Mary, after all, and did not like to see the looks that people cast Mary's way when they saw how obvious it was that she stuck out in their family.

She would protect her sister, now and forever.


	3. Uniforms

**This chapter is pretty pointless, honestly. But I personally kind of liked it, so I'm posting it anyways.**

**I actually have chapter 4 (a much more important chapter) written too, but it's late where I am so I'm in no state to check it over for errors.**

**I should have it out early tomorrow.**

**But I wanted to use this as a chance to thank my two reviews Clarilune (I don't think I've ever gotten such a long review before, I'm honored) and Linkforever125 (as much as I'd like to be able to post long chapters, I don't write all that well that way, and I've already got a story were I'm forcing it upon myself to write longer chapters, so I don't think it will happen with this one, sorry).**

* * *

Mary liked the uniforms for the middle school better than the ones for the elementary school.

It was a dark blue, pleated skirt with long, white knee socks, white dress shirt, blue neck tie, and brown dress shoes.

Ib much preferred the elementary school version (which, admittedly looked very similar save the color scheme).

Mary just said it was because Ib was the more childish one, so of course she would like the childish uniform.

Ib just smiled. It was a joke, and they both knew it.

If either of them was childish, it would always be Mary.


	4. Anger

**Thanks to ArchangelWings (I do intend for Mary to come off as little bratty, as it serves my purpose at this point. That shouldn't be permanent, though. At least it shouldn't be if I do this right.) and okamiAmaterasu2012 for reviewing =)**

* * *

Ib hated it when Mary got mad.

She couldn't stand the way her sister stewed in silence, and then burst forth with yelling and angry words, like a volcano erupting.

It could plainly be seen that Mother and Father disliked it as well, as they always tried to deal with it in as quick a manor as possible.

Mother tried to pacify her eldest daughter. Tried to offer a solution, a way to make it better. Sometimes, would try to do something to make up for what was upsetting her.

Father, who had always been far less lenient than Mother, threatened to punish instead. He would take away privileges, and cut off freedoms.

Ib, however, did her best to do nothing.

It often seemed that when Mary got mad enough, Ib simply disappeared, hiding herself somewhere that no one could find.

Mother and Father never understood it, and more often than not, Ib didn't either.

Mary, however, understood.

Ib's fear of her anger might seem irrational to even Ib herself, but Mary knew that somewhere deep down, she remember a shining knife and crazed, angry eyes. The image and the details might not be there, but the _fear_ was, and that was all that mattered.

Mary knew that Ib's memory loss was all that gave her a chance to be Ib's sister. If it were not for that she knew that Ib would not only fear her, but hate her as well.

And so she'd do anything, anything at all, to keep Ib from remembering.

Because Mary couldn't deal with being all alone again.

/

Ib had not seen Mary this mad in a long time.

She nearly shook with rage the whole car ride home, and Ib, doing as she always did when Mary got this way, drew even less attention to herself than usual.

She stared out the car window while Mary vented all her frustration at their mother.

"Ib and I don't have a single class together! Not one!"

"You have lunch together, don't you, dear? Surely that must count for something."

"But it's not really a class. And besides, lunch is only half an hour! All of our other classes last fifty minutes!"

"I can call your guidance counselor, sweetie, but I don't know that there is much I can do."

"You've got to try! It's not fair!" Mary concluded, and then lapsed into silence.

_It's plenty fair,_ Ib thought to herself, somewhat sadly.

Since, unlike Mary, she knew why the two of them had been assigned no similar classes. Their guidance counselor had insisted upon placing Ib into every advanced class that she could.

Of course, Ib's parents had complied. They were flattered to find out that they had such an intelligent daughter, and had thought little about how it would affect Mary.

They hadn't thought that the few hours of separation would mean so much to the girl who was loath to be separated from her first real friend.

Ib herself hadn't thought about how odd it would feel to be away from Mary for so long. It was strange for her, and slightly unsettling.

Unlike Mary, however, she wouldn't complain, even if she didn't like it.

Although, at this point, she wasn't sure if she truly disliked the space.

And it was that sort of thinking that scared Mary the most.


	5. Storm

**I hope these next couple of chapters flow properly. I have this one (5), 6, and 7 all written but I wonder if I'm rushing things.**

**I want to get the build-up just right (or at least semi-right, considering I haven't done anything like this before). . .**

**Thank**** you to Linkforever125, Teiya, and aladar 28 for your reviews =)**

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

The silence at the dinner table was practically pliable.

No sound could be heard save for the noise of silverware clanking against dishes.

It was unusual, to say the least. While most of the family was in fact very quiet, Mary always talked enough for all four of them.

Today, however, it seemed that she had condemned herself to silently picking at the food in front of her.

Finally, Father could take it no more, and asked his girls the question that his wife had told him he probably ought to avoid.

"How was school today?"

"Terrible."

"Fine."

Both answers, stated at the same time, made the room lapse into an awkward silence once again, instead of starting up any conversation.

Father made no more attempts at lifting the mood. He knew that when Ib and Mary had any sort of disagreement it was best to take cover for the storm.

Getting in the middle of it would only serve to make things worse.

/

"I can't believe you actually like spending so much time with other people."

Ib said nothing, just sat in silence, practically curled up into herself.

She was sitting on her bed, the bottom half of a bunk-bed that her and Mary had shared for three years.

"I thought I was your best friend! But this other girl. _Erin. _You seem to like her more than me!"

"That's not true," Ib said, her voice soft. "She's my classmate, and. . . she's nice. You might like some of your classmates too, if you got to know then."

Mary was awestruck. Ib _never _talked to her like this.

"But what if I don't want other friends? What if I just want you!" Mary screamed, seething.

Ib, seeming to have used up her words for the evening, said nothing.

Instead she fled from the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Mary, now all alone, collapsed onto the floor and buried her face into her hands.

What had she just started?


	6. Dreams

**I had chapters 6, 7, and 8 written but decided that I didn't like 6 or 7. So I redid 6, took out 7, and made a slightly altered 8 take 7's place.**

**More or less. I might change it again if I feel like it doesn't flow right.**

**Many thanks to Clarilune, who's reviews blow me away. And as for her observation that I got Ib's parents' personalities reversed in chapter 4. . . well, she's right *sweatdrops* Good thing for me they shouldn't be all that important in the long run.**

**Thanks to ArchangelWings, for her review as well =)**

* * *

When Ib returned to her room, Mary was already asleep.

She slipped silently into bed, listening to her sister's even breathing as she laid there, sleep far away for her.

Finally she felt herself drifting, but right as the dream world claimed her she felt a shifting above her and a soft noise of sleepy protest.

_Mary must be having one of her nightmares._

Ib was dragged into her own sleep before she could pursue the thought any farther.

/

_That night she had a dream of Mary skipping down a starry hallway, plucking petals off a blue rose._

/

Ib awoke with a start.

Why was it that she had the feeling Mary had done something awful?


	7. Funeral

**Thanks to Linkforever125, neonlion (take a look at the bottom author note to answer your question), aladar 28, and ravenbynight for their reviews =)**

**Anyways, this chapter is just build up for later things to come. **

* * *

"Your great aunt Miriam died last night."

Both girls looked up from their breakfast.

"Who?" Mary asked, obviously confused. She stole a glance at Ib, who seemed to not have any clue who that was, either.

Mother sighed.

"My mother's sister. You never meet her. I haven't seen her myself in years, so I didn't even know that her health was failing."

Both girls nodded, seeming oddly subdued.

Mother wondered what could be going on between them.

"I hate to do this so early in the school year, but I'm going to need to take you both out of class on Friday so that we may attend her funeral as a family. I hope it won't be too much work for you to make up."

"Not going to be a problem, mom."

Ib just nodded solemnly in agreement.

* * *

**I'm torn. I want to bring Gary in, but at the same time I don't. I've got an idea for him, but it would involve me bringing in another character (not quite an OC, but not quite a canon character), and adding in a lot more to the story than I originally planned. **

**If you've got an opinion, leave me a review or send me a PM saying so. **


	8. Stem

**I have excuses for not getting this chapter out sooner, none of them good. Chapters will probably come out at a slower rate (sorry) soon anyways, because I'll be starting school again.**

**Anyways, it seems the majority of people (meaning everyone who gave me an opinion) wants Garry to come in. So come in he shall. **

**Thanks to DCreed, XxADVENTURE TIMExX, Illusion Island, Zombielandmuaha, Idonnevenknowanymore (thanks for your suggestion, but I already know what's going to happen at the funeral), luicy, and Clarilune (your reviews bring me much joy, as always) for their reviews. **

* * *

_Some Time Ago_**  
**

He held the stem gingerly at first, pinching it between his index finger and thumb gently.

He examined it, keen eyes taking in the vivid green color and sharp thorns.

At one point it must have been full of bright blue petals, but now they littered the floor like morbid confetti.

He'd always loved roses, but this mangled once-flower was barely befitting the name.

Yet, there was a certain charm about it.

A rose was a symbol for the heart, and it was not unheard of for a heart it be plucked clean and then discarded without a care.

Certainly this had happened to his own heart more than its fair share.

With a sudden swiftness he curled his fingers around the stem, squeezing and allowing the thorns to bite into his pale fingers and palm.

There was no blood. Just empty crevices on too white skin.

He pocketed the stem and gathered the petals, following the trail of them through the dark halls.

He was surprised at what he found at the end.

* * *

**Now that I think about it, this chapter title has a deeper meaning to it than I originally intended. . .**


	9. Newspaper

**Thank you to dream away with me, XxADVENTURE TIMExX, ls2010 (who?), and potterlover77222 for their reviews.**

* * *

Mother was late home from work that evening, leaving Father all alone with his girls.

Every once in a while he'd comment on something that he knew neither Mary nor Ib really cared about, just to keep the silence from getting too thick.

"It looks like the stock market took another dive yesterday."

"The local animal shelter had to take in a few abandoned horses. Who'd do that to a poor animal?"

"The Guertena exhibit at the local art gallery is going to be shut down. What a shame."

"A new park is going to be built downtown. I'll have to take the two of you once it's finished."

That night, once Ib had clean away her plate and excused herself, Mary asked Father if she could have the old newspaper.


	10. Drawing

**This should have been out sooner, and for that I am sorry. I just haven't been able to keep my muse these days. I was about to sit down a write this chapter weeks ago, but then I got a phone call from a friend, telling me a close friend of mine attempted suicide. I couldn't write after that, and again, sorry.**

* * *

"What is _that_?"

Ib frowned slightly. The drawing wasn't _that_ bad, was it? She was no artist, but surely she wasn't so bad that her picture was unidentifiable.

"It's a rose."

This did not make Mary look any happier.

"What kind of rose?"

Ib frowned again. What kind? There was more than one kind of rose?

"Well, I thought that I might color it blue, if that's what you. . . "

Mary's furious look cut Ib off midsentence.

The younger girl's eyes widened and she jumped in surprise as Mary reached over and snatched the paper from Ib's grasp.

Before Ib could even offer a voice of protest, Mary was shredding the picture to pieces.

"There's no such thing as 'blue roses'! So you shouldn't be drawing them. They're stupid anyways!" Mary snapped, letting the shredded rose fall the ground.

She turned abruptly then, storming from the room and leaving a speechless Ib in her wake.

What had gotten into her twin sister?


	11. Sleeping

**I actually have up to chapter 17 written, just not typed up on my computer.**

**Such is the life of a lazy writer, I guess.**

* * *

Friday was a silent day.

Mary didn't talk, Ib didn't talk, Mother didn't talk, and Father gave up trying to break the silence after a few hours.

The car ride to the funeral was a short one, no longer than half an hour, and once they had arrived silence was acceptable, so Father let his girls be.

You'd think that they were mourning, if you didn't know better.

Mother disappeared soon after arriving, leaving her husband and daughters behind to be with her parents and brothers and sisters.

Ib and Mary sat together, but they couldn't be farther apart.

/

There was an open casket viewing towards the end of the service.

This viewing of a lifeless body was something that Mary wanted nothing to do with.

Ib, however, morbidly curious, took Mother's hand and the pair slowly made their way up the blue carpeted isle.

The coffin, raised on a dais and laden with flowers, was covered by a thin layer of glass that separated the corpse from the world of the living.

Ib raised herself up onto her tip toes to get a better glimpse, braced for something gruesome.

What she saw, however, was simply a withered old face, the eyes closed as if in sleep.

_She looks like she might wake up if I tapped on the glass_. . . Ib thought, an uneasy feeling settling over her.

_He looks like he's sleeping. . . _

Collapsed on the ground, so still and motionless . . . he looks like he's sleeping . . . _but is he even breathing_?

Ib's vision doubled for the slightest of seconds and . . . had it even been there? The double vision, the face on top of her great aunt's. . . One so much younger, and strangely . . . purple?

Her heart rate shot off like a rocket and it wasn't until the world went black that she realized she wasn't breathing either.

_Garry. . . ._


	12. Murderer

**Sometimes I really hate myself. I really do.**

* * *

Ib awoke lying on one of the pews, her mother, worry creasing her face, standing over her.

"Ib, Ib, are you okay? Do I need to take you to the hospital?"

"Mhmmmm?" Was all the groggy girl could get out.

What had just happened?

"Ib, what happened!?" Mary cried as she rushed over.

Her blue eyes were wild with concern and her hair was frazzled slightly, like she had been running her hands through it.

"Murderer," Ib murmured, so soft that neither Mary nor Mother could be sure of what she had uttered.

"What was that, honey?"

"Murderer," Ib said again, this time more firmly.

Her intense gaze pinned Mary to the spot.

"W-What?" Mary questioned, sounding weak.

"You killed him!" Ib cried, springing from the pew, tears in her eyes.

"I hate you!" she claimed in between sobs.

Mary could only stay silent for a moment.

"_He deserved it!_"

And with that, Ib ran from the room.


	13. Lighter

**I really meant to post this sooner, but I ended up dropping my journal behind my coach and completely forgetting it was there for a few days~**

**The result is this chapter (which feels short, even to me) and a crappy Hetalia fic that I wrote when I couldn't find my writing journal (but it sucks, so I'm not posting it).**

**Anyways~ thanks to everyone who reviewed =) They mean a lot to me as a writer who rarely ever shares what she writes with anyone.**

* * *

Ib found herself throwing up her guts in the women's bathroom a few moments later.

It was all too much for her, just too much.

She couldn't stand this.

Her sister, her _twin_, had killed him, plucked the petals away and let the life drain out.

_How could she?_

For all of her smarts, Ib did not think she would ever understand.

After she had finished retching she spat a few times to get the taste from her mouth.

Her whole frame was shaking as she reached into her coat pocket and her fingers brushed against cold metal.

She'd had it for years, not quite knowing why she had it, but needing it none the less.

Mary had tried to take it once, but Ib in her cunning had stolen it back.

Mary had never noticed.

It was _his_ lighter, after all. It belonged to her.

_Garry's_ lighter. The only part of him that she had left, besides her newly retrieved memories.

A few moments later Ib walked from the restroom, lighter clutched in her palm and knowing what she needed to do.


	14. Sacrifice

**Finally, after making everyone wait for so long (three months? four?), here's a completely unimportant chapter as my way of saying "I'll try to update semi-regularly from now on."**

* * *

It took a lot of convincing to get Mother and Father to believe that there was nothing wrong.

Because something was definitely wrong, that much anyone could figure out.

It wasn't every day that your calm, collected, twelve-year-old daughter accused her beloved sister of being a murderer.

"It was just an over-reaction to a dream, Mother," Ib would claim, and then say nothing more.

/

It was a long time before Ib and Mary were alone again.

And even then a silence descended upon them, rooted in the deep uneasiness that had settled in Ib's stomach.

"So now you know."

It wasn't a question.

"Why did you have to kill him?" she asked (it was all she wanted to know at this point, nothing else mattered), but said it so softly and with so much sadness that Mary almost blenched.

"It was me or him, Ib. Me or _him_. What would you have done?" Mary snapped, quietly seething.

Eyes down, Ib replied.

"You asked me that already. Don't you remember?"

And now that it was brought to the surface of Mary's memory, she did remember.

_I would sacrifice myself._

"It should have been me," Ib said, voice soft and trembling with grief and tears.

"It should have been me."

* * *

**Also, I'm not exactly sure what it was that you could choose to say to Mary about the whole "if only two of us could leave, who would you pick?" question. I mean, I know that general answers, but I'm not sure if I got the wording right. . .**


End file.
